Nightrealms Carrion Crown

Sarenrae - The Dawnflower

Once a powerful angel known as an empyreal lord, Sarenrae led the heavenly hosts in the charge against the Rough Beast, Rovagug, and it was she who dealt him the great blow that led to his chaining. Now a goddess in her own right, Sarenrae is kind and loving, a figure of light, guidance, and healing, and has great patience with those who choose to be blind but may one day see. Yet for all her compassion, Sarenrae is also a powerful force against evil, and strikes down the irredeemable without mercy.

Adventurers
Sarenrae’s faithful are united by a desire to make the world a better place. They believe wholeheartedly in redemption, yet this should not be mistaken for weakness. They are equal parts healers and crusaders, and seek to stand up to evil in all its myriad forms. As a follower of Sarenrae, you may engage in relatively peaceful pursuits such as tending the sick, arbitrating disputes, and rehabilitating criminals, or you might hunt out abominations and bring justice to the unrepentant evildoers. Whatever drives you, the end result should be bringing the light — or sword — of Sarenrae to hearts that have been dark for too long.

Classes
Overall, Sarenrae’s focus on redemption means that almost any class is welcome within her ranks so long as its practitioners are devoted to the cause of good, bringing righteous action into those areas where it’s needed most.

Goals
You believe that every day brings new hope, and that opportunities lie in wait for everyone. You want to help your fellows bare their souls to the cleansing light of the Dawnflower so that they may be purified. You are patient with others who hold different ideals so long as their hearts are in the right place. While you are a strong believer in free will, you understand that sometimes mortals require an additional push toward the good without their consent. You promote order and law long as they benefit everyone. Likewise, you support the right of individuals to ignore or overthrow unjust rulers. Though slavery might exist in your culture, it is an abomination to you, and you might work tirelessly to destroy the institution. You know that you are not perfect, but you strive to better yourself with every day, with the Dawnflower as your guide

Identifiers
When you travel, you can often recognize others of your faith by their dress, as the Keleshite robes of the desert dervishes have become synonymous with the faith in many worshipers’ minds, as have the symbol of a sunburst and the colors of white, red, and gold. Your fellows sometimes wear jewelry sporting ankhs or stylized doves, and even in the cold north, far from the deserts of Qadira and Osirion, the truly devoted carry scimitars in homage to your goddess. By these signs, you demonstrate your allegiance to the Dawnflower and invite others of your faith to approach you to share the light. Though the desire for material wealth frequently leads otherwise good souls astray, followers of Sarenrae often appreciate artistically done golden ornaments, seeing in the metal’s glitter a weak reflection of the sun’s holy rays.

Devotion
The worship of Sarenrae is ancient, and so her followers’forms of devotion are as diverse as the clouds in the sky. Some throw her name around as a casual oath, while others interweave their devotions to her throughout the day. Adventurers devoted to the Dawnflower know that worship is not merely a theory but an activity that underpins the rest of your actions. By helping others, you guide them into the light and help justify your own existence. If you are a true devotee of the Dawnflower, you have strong diplomatic skills and a gentle nature, having tempered your steel in the calm fires of the Dawnflower— yet when required, your sword still strikes true.

Other Faiths
Like your goddess, you are open and friendly with worshipers of other faiths—even many of the evil ones. Unless someone has shown himself to be irretrievably evil, your faith demands that you treat him with the kindness you would show to anyone who had lost his way. Redemption is rarely a swift process, and your faith demands the patience to hold your temper and help others to walk the righteous path. Only the followers of Rovagug are denied a chance at salvation, for to entertain the Rough Beast is to display a total rejection of righteousness.

Taboos
There are few taboos in your faith, and most of them deal with casual cruelty or thoughtlessness that might harm others. When you have been thoughtless, or when you have unnecessarily crushed hope or joy — whether on purpose or inadvertently—you must seek out the wronged person and obtain his forgiveness. If he does not forgive you immediately, you must (within limits) serve him for a period, depending on the severity of the offense. If he asks you to harm another, your service is ended: you serve only the good.

The Church
Though the worship of Sarenrae makes itself known across Golarion, the church itself is strongest in Absalom, Katapesh, Osirion, Qadira, Taldor, and Thuvia, with open-air temples rising tall and white into the shining sky. The Keleshite Empire claims her as its patron deity, and has certainly helped contribute its desert flavor to the ceremonial garb of her priests, yet shrines to the Dawnflower dot the countryside of the Inner Sea.

The priests of Sarenrae are highly flexible in their hierarchy. In general, traveling priests defer to the local church, which is patterned around a family. This loose structure helps to settle feuds, as priests involved in a heated conf lict have the option of temporarily moving on to another temple and allowing tempers to cool.

One of the most popular and holy sites of the faith is the Everlight Oasis in Zelshabbar, one of the satrapies of the Empire of Kelesh. This pool, reported to have rejuvenating qualities, is said to be blessed by the goddess. Sarenrae’s wisdom is encapsulated in The Birth of Light and Truth. The book is old and many versions exist. One of the features common to nearly all printings is the inclusion of extra pages, so that the reader might record new experiences that reflect Sarenrae’s teachings. Within the book’s text, worshipers find both the history of the goddess and practical advice for living, as well as church doctrine, folk remedies for illnesses, and suggestions for dealing with undead or other evil creatures.